NFL and NFLPA to Review Jalen Hurts Traveling and Playing with Blood Clots

The NFL and the NFL Players Association are jointly reviewing the timeline surrounding Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who played a game in London and flew home after receiving a diagnosis of a superficial blood clot in his calf.

Subsequent medical evaluations revealed multiple blood clots in both of Hurts’s lungs, ruling the quarterback out for the remainder of the season. The review centers on the sequence of medical clearances and long-distance travel permitted between the initial diagnosis on October 10 in London and his return to Philadelphia.

Calf Injury In Los Angeles and Initial Treatment in Philadelphia

Hurts sustained the initial injury to his left calf during an October 4 game against the Los Angeles Rams when another player stepped on his leg. He finished that contest and did not report any physical abnormalities to the team until October 8.

The quarterback participated in standard practice sessions during that game week while receiving treatment on October 8 and October 9. The team departed for the United Kingdom on October 10, landing in London later that morning.

Allen Sills, the NFL's chief medical officer who was on site in London, arranged the evaluation.

The scan confirmed a superficial venous thrombosis in the left calf. Medical personnel cleared Hurts to play in the upcoming fixture after the examination, which concluded around 3:00 a.m. local time on October 11.

Full Game Appearance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Hurts returned to the team hotel briefly before taking the field for a full-game appearance against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Medical staff recommended a follow-up ultrasound within 72 hours and cleared him to board the team flight back to the United States on the evening of the game.

Initial media reports suggested Hurts had gone 36 hours without sleep prior to kickoff. A representative for the quarterback clarified that Hurts slept upon returning to the hotel and later rested at the stadium.

Blood Clots End Hurts's Season

Hurts received daily treatment upon returning to Philadelphia. A follow-up examination on October 14 revealed that the blood clot had moved, prompting the team to exclude him from the following game’s active roster.

In a joint statement released on October 19, the Eagles and Hurts’s representatives announced that subsequent diagnostic tests confirmed deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary embolisms. Physicians prescribed anticoagulant therapy, and while a full recovery is expected, the condition prevents Hurts from playing for the rest of the season.

League Protocols and Medical Discrepancies Under Scrutiny

The joint review by the NFL and the NFLPA focuses on the decision-making process that permitted Hurts to play and take a transatlantic flight immediately following a thrombosis diagnosis. While the league maintains explicit medical guidelines for concussions, emergency situations, and extreme heat, Sills stated in a press conference that no separate, standalone policy governs this specific combination of vascular events.

Sills expressed full confidence in the medical staff’s handling of the situation, noting that they acted with extreme caution. The NFLPA countered by demanding a full investigation, asserting that the league initially informed the union it had no plans to review the medical care administered to Hurts. The two sides subsequently agreed to examine the case together.

Sills maintained that discovering clots in the lungs does not automatically indicate a flaw in the preceding medical procedures, noting that a dedicated committee regularly reviews similar clinical cases.

More on this story: NFL Open to Jalen Hurts Blood Clot Investigation, Roger Goodell Says · Jalen Hurts' Pulmonary Embolism Sparks NFL Player Safety Debate

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